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Andrew Kitzenberg

Photos: The Tsarnaev brothers’ shootout with police

On Thursday night [Friday morning] at 12:45am EST. I was in my living room working on my computer when I heard multiple “pops” coming from outside. At that point, I had no idea that I was about to become an eye witness to the biggest news story in the country.

When I looked outside my window, I could clearly see two people (the Tsarnaev brothers) taking cover behind an SUV and engaging in gunfire. After witnessing shots being fired I promptly ran up the stairs to my 3rd floor bedroom to distance myself a little further away from the gunfire. As I ran into my room, overwhelmed by shock, adrenaline, and curiosity, I jumped onto my bed to stay below the windows but also have a clear view at the shooters and photograph the event. As soon as I was laying safely on my bed I started taking pictures with my iPhone 5 and captured the following images that documented the terrifying shootout with the Tsarnaev brothers, which then led to an overnight citywide manhunt.

Blowback

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Just think how a moderately well trained citizen from that vantage point could have ended this problem if he had an AR15 with a 30rnd mag. Could have saved a great deal of fear and anguish, not to mention tax dollars, and ended the threat right then and there.

But, of course, this happened in the North East, where citizens are strictly a liability of the state…

The bullet hole in the chair is a good indication that maybe standing in your window watching a shootout isn’t the best idea.
Bishop on April 23, 2013 at 9:10 AM

I thought the same thing. He was risking his life just to take pictures. Crazy brave or crazy stupid. It could also be a belief that TV and movies are accurate and you really can hide behind walls and trash buckets. The bullet through the wall and then the chair is a cold slap of reality.

Not unexpectedly many of the comments at this post are made by moonbats and loons.

Oh well, moving on: Not being a James Bond movie scriptwriter, I have to ask what may be a stupid question: How can they detonate a bomb at their feet without getting injured themselves? Was it more of a smoke bomb than an i.e.d.?

Among other questions which are nagging me: What training in guns and evasive techniques did one or both of them receive? I find it very difficult to believe they could learn all this (which appears to be quasi-military) training on the net. And it may be nothing but it’s worth noting one was trained as a wrestler, the other a boxer.

Anyone else catch the photographer’s line about the green sedan? Everything I’ve seen said they only had the black SUV. So does that mean the did have two cars? If so, was only the black SUV carjacked or both…who does the green sedan belong to?

Not unexpectedly many of the comments at this post are made by moonbats and loons.

Oh well, moving on: Not being a James Bond movie scriptwriter, I have to ask what may be a stupid question: How can they detonate a bomb at their feet without getting injured themselves? Was it more of a smoke bomb than an i.e.d.?

Among other questions which are nagging me: What training in guns and evasive techniques did one or both of them receive? I find it very difficult to believe they could learn all this (which appears to be quasi-military) training on the net. And it may be nothing but it’s worth noting one was trained as a wrestler, the other a boxer.

Buy Danish on April 23, 2013 at 9:45 AM

As I understand it, the first ‘bomb’ they threw was another pressure cooker bomb, but when it hit the pavement the lid came off before it detonated. Because the ‘explosive’ used was low quality, probably ‘black powder’ it simply burned. Some of it may have spilled. The upside for them was a lot of smoke which served as a screen.

It’s also possible that they let the lid off so it would work that way.

Anyone else catch the photographer’s line about the green sedan? Everything I’ve seen said they only had the black SUV. So does that mean the did have two cars? If so, was only the black SUV carjacked or both…who does the green sedan belong to?

batter on April 23, 2013 at 10:04 AM

I dunno. I had read somewhere that they slept in the green sedan, which I believe was the Honda. I think they needed a new vehicle because the police had issued an apb on the Honda and had gone public. The terrorists hijacked the SUV and were transferring their explosives to the SUV when the police caught up to them.

Anyone else catch the photographer’s line about the green sedan? Everything I’ve seen said they only had the black SUV. So does that mean the did have two cars? If so, was only the black SUV carjacked or both…who does the green sedan belong to?
batter on April 23, 2013 at 10:04 AM

The chief described the chain of events that led to Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s death, beginning late Thursday, after the brothers allegedly carjacked a man in Cambridge. The two brothers let the driver out unharmed, but the driver’s cellphone was still in his car, said Deveau. Police “pinged” the phone to determine where it was, he said, which alerted police that the suspects were in Watertown.

A local officer spotted the brothers driving in two cars, a Honda sedan and the stolen Mercedes SUV, said Deveau. The brothers stopped, jumped out and started firing on the officer, while more police rushed to the scene, he said.

+++

As I understand it, the first ‘bomb’ they threw was another pressure cooker bomb, but when it hit the pavement the lid came off before it detonated. Because the ‘explosive’ used was low quality, probably ‘black powder’ it simply burned. Some of it may have spilled. The upside for them was a lot of smoke which served as a screen.

It’s also possible that they let the lid off so it would work that way.

slickwillie2001 on April 23, 2013 at 10:10 AM

I suppose the possibility they took the lid off might explain it, but it seems to me all of this would require intensive military-like training beforehand in order to have the wherewithal to do all this under fire. Even knowing they ran away from bomb towards the officers, by putting a bomb at their feet they risked destroying their getaway car.